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Bowman plan passes City Council

An aerial mockup of the Bowman site, now possible thanks to zoning legislation passed by City Council Today, shows the scale of the project on the 8200 Block of Germantown Avenue.

by Jennifer Katz

This morning City Council unanimously passed the three zoning bills needed to convert the 8200 Germantown Ave. site of the former Magarity Ford car dealership to a mixed-use retail/residential development.

Passage of the legislation, which rezoned the parcel and changed the direction of traffic on Hartwell Lane, comes just three days after the Chestnut Hill Community Association board unanimously approved Bowman Properties plan to build a five-story retail and residential development along Germantown Avenue and additional townhomes along the rear of the property on Shawnee Street.

The Philadelphia City Planning Commission approved Bowman’s plan yesterday despite lingering tension with some of the site’s nearest neighbors.

After the city council vote project manager Seth Shapiro said the plan will now enter the design phase.

“We are excited to embark upon a design process with the community association to further flush out what the building will look like,” he said.

Bowman has agreed to continue its work with the community association to finalize the design of the buildings. Shapiro said preliminary site improvement work would likely begin in spring or summer.

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hey, i’m going to be the worst neighbor you have ever had and trash the retail community on germantown ave.
regards snowden

Jorso

why don’t you keep great locations vacant for over 20 years at a time, just a suggestion.

briteyes

better to be vacant than victimized by devolopers

Kat

Mature!

Orvo

Too freakin big. No setback. A mistake.

Illhillani

i can’t stand chestnut hill – all of that historic nonsense and small village feel. its time to change folks. finally, joining the rest of the world. enough with your pretentious historic house tours and art festivals. finally, a shopping center i will use. maybe the city will finally pave over the stupid cobble stones. what is this, medieval europe? thank you bowman properties. finally.

PhillyBoy

“Historic nonsense and small village feel . . . finally joining the rest of the world “? Are you insane? The people who live in CH do so many things that make this city run. If they want to complain about a development-let them. Many residents there (not all-there are actually some normal people there) pay more in wage tax than you make in a year.

KB

We don’t want your negativity in our “pretentious” town!

briteyes

IF you are represenative of “the rest of the world ” you proport we join… then I say
the world is in a sad sorry state…
anyone that supports bigger is better, and takes issue with history and art festivals is really a lost cause.
why dont you just go away into the world you advocate for, and stop trying to impose progress onto
the old world beauty and charm that is chestnut hill….
its funny how the REAL rest of the world endeavors to preserve its history, and culture
and here we have morons like you wanting to pave over it,

Kelly

Agenda 21…sending mixed-use properties your way! Beware, this is just the beginning…

briteyes

beware is right!! once they change the zoning…it’s a done deal, AND IF this proposed project falls through ( for whatever reason ) the damage is done because the zoning is changed …
and for what?? a “fresh ” foods market? we ALREADY have a fresh foods market its called the co op…
fresh foods is neither FRESH ( sourced locally) or organic, its actually the complete opposite of fresh, alot of garbage food made to look fresh, I read somewhere this company is owned by home depot ( the logo certainly suggests this)